Tokyo, but I'm a deceitful scumbag.

"Brother, don't turn around, it's me, your sister-in-law!"

"?"

Kimura frowned slightly.

Is there such a line in "Chicken Investigation Team 404"...? Hmm, I think so... and it does sound really exciting...

Under the influence of Hoshino Hideyuki's illusion, he finally nodded and said:

"Yes, having a basic understanding is enough."

"Okay, let's start by acting out being shot by an arrow and falling to the ground, probably around the shoulder..."

Kimura said this, but in his heart, he had already secretly crossed Hoshino Hideyuki off the list.

The reason is simple: he felt that Hoshino Hideyuki was too handsome, and that his looks would steal the spotlight from the main actors if he were to be an extra.

Especially since the lead role this time is played by Kitagawa, he'll definitely cause a scene if his screen time is stolen...

So he thought, let's just forget about this person.

However, we could exchange business cards afterwards, since he has a truly striking face, and perhaps we'll collaborate on a film or TV show in the future.

Well, anyway, let's just pass them over for not being good enough in acting.

Anyway, the extras' acting skills are usually terrible, so this excuse never fails... Wait a minute!

"Ugh!"

Kimura stared wide-eyed as Hoshino Hideyuki clutched his shoulder, his body trembling, his features contorted, and he collapsed to the ground with his eyes wide open.

That expression, that gesture... no, how come there are even beads of sweat on his forehead!

His face turned deathly pale!

Their pupils are dilated!

The real estate agent standing nearby was even more exaggerated, asking in a daze, "Mr. Kimura, this, this doesn't seem like acting... Could it be that he just had a heart attack and really died suddenly?!"

"I go……"

Did he fake his death and then actually die? Don't take it so seriously!

Kimura swallowed hard, feeling a little insecure, and quickly stepped forward, wanting to squat down and check Hoshino Hideyuki's breath.

At that very moment, Hideyuki Hoshino suddenly looked up, smiling, and asked:

"Mr. Kimura, have I passed the test?"

"what!"

Kimura was startled, and it took him a few seconds to realize how exaggerated his behavior had been.

His lips twitched as he said:

"It's...it's passed..."

"No, I should say, Azusagawa-san, you...you're simply a genius!"

Of course~

The little fox smiled slightly, thinking to itself:

Acting? I'm a professional!

If you don't yell "cut," I can really bring out the lividity in you!

Chapter 149 Those who help the fox will be rewarded!

Although Kimura still felt that Hoshino Hideyuki would steal the spotlight, he couldn't find a good reason to eliminate him.

No, to be more precise, it was such superb acting skills that he had developed a fondness for talent and wanted to mentor Hoshino Hideyuki no matter what.

There was nothing I could do, so I discussed it with Director Fujiwara afterwards and suggested casting a minor character who didn't appear at the same time as the main character but still had lines...

With this in mind, Kimura shook hands with Hoshino Hideyuki and explained the next steps to him.

For example, the specific departure date is two days later, what procedures need to be completed in the meantime, when the training courses will be scheduled, and so on...

Hoshino Hideyuki wrote everything down, thanked Kimura at the end, and then turned and left the house.

So easy~

He stretched and prepared to go home.

However, shortly after leaving Building 12, as he passed an izakaya (Japanese pub) in the style of Edo, he suddenly noticed a commotion.

"what!"

But then a girl of about sixteen or seventeen was about to walk down the second floor of the izakaya when the stairs suddenly turned into a flat surface. She screamed and fell to the ground, sliding down the stairs and finally landing in a pool filled with an unidentified white liquid.

After climbing out of the pool, she was covered in an unknown liquid. After coughing several times, she finally couldn't help but burst into tears, which sounded particularly shrill.

Just then, a man with a flat nose, wearing a casual suit, rushed out from the corner, threw his water bottle on the ground, and yelled at the girl:

"Surprise and fear are fine, but crying is not what we want at all! This is not the effect we want at all, what are you doing, you bastard!"

The girl sobbed, "But...but you didn't say there would be any traps here..."

"No buts. The contract states that if you want to film 'Tales of the Unusual World,' you also have to film our variety show! The selling point of this show is that you can prank people anytime, anywhere!"

"Your agency was the one who asked us for help to salvage your declining popularity. What kind of nonsense is this, saying you can't take it anymore? If you can't take it, then get out!"

The man said sternly, "You idols, really, you have absolutely no professional ethics..."

At this moment, Hoshino Hideyuki recalled the information he had read and recognized the man as Ishii Ryohei, the producer of The World Is Not Right.

The girl was someone I had just seen on a flyer not long ago; she was a member of the AS Magical Idol group.

It seems this idol group isn't just going to film a drama, they've also agreed to film a late-night show...

That was definitely a bit of a hassle.

Hoshino Hideyuki recalled the Japanese late-night variety shows he had learned about, such as fake elevators that suddenly fell, or various large-scale games with the theme of software hardening...

Well, aside from professional comedians or actresses in duo action scenes, most normal people probably couldn't stand it.

At that moment, Hoshino Hideyuki overheard several people carrying prop swords whispering to each other.

"That guy must be Ishii from Tokyo Broadcasting System's GWKK, right? How come a producer is acting like a director, and he's even using pretty offensive language..."

"You didn't know, did you? The World Is Not Right wasn't originally his. It was brought up by another producer. After the first season became a huge hit, he used his connections to snatch the second season, which caused a lot of trouble. Now, the crew doesn't really respect him."

The speaker said disdainfully, "So he had no choice but to do everything himself."

"Ah, so that's the reason..."

The fox standing nearby listened with great interest.

As expected of the entertainment industry.

You can hear about watermelons as soon as you come here. If you stay for a few days, you might be able to save enough money to buy watermelons for half a year!

Soon, the matter with the idol was resolved.

Hoshino Hideyuki turned and left, but he hadn't gone far when he saw a familiar face in a small alley.

It was none other than the slightly chubby young man who had kindly led the fox earlier.

However, he didn't look too good at the moment.

Clearly, he had also witnessed what had just happened and was now biting his sleeve in anger.

"Damn it, if I were some important person, someone who could speak up for me..."

Hoshino Hideyuki sighed softly, stepped forward, and patted the latter on the shoulder: "Hey, the sleeve is innocent~"

"what!"

The man was startled, but when he turned around and saw that it was Hideyuki Hoshino, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's you! Don't scare me... Um, what can I do for you?"

"Nothing much, I just noticed you weren't doing too well and wanted to ask what was wrong."

"Me? I'm in great shape, I... well, not really..."

The slightly chubby young man sighed, acknowledging the obvious fact, and then told Hoshino Hideyuki about his dissatisfaction.

"How could they treat AS magic like this..."

"Although I know that these people who make TV dramas look down on idols, how can they do this..."

Hideyuki Hoshino shrugged.

Things are better now, at least because of the popularity of the idol industry, it's quite common for idols to appear in movies or TV series.

Twenty years ago, the way people treated each other like they didn't exist was what it truly meant to look down on someone.

The slightly chubby young man continued, "Damn it, if I were some big shot... Sigh, never mind, I'm just a good-for-nothing who can't even be an extra..."

"Didn't get the job?"

"Yeah, they were pretty direct and said I wasn't good enough..."

Hoshino Hideyuki raised an eyebrow, plucked a strand of hair, blew it into the air, and after a moment patted the slightly chubby young man on the shoulder again, laughing:

"Friend, do you remember what I said? Good deeds will be rewarded!"

"Although you may not become a big shot who can interfere with the production team, you still have the opportunity to comfort your idol face-to-face; it just depends on whether you want to take it~"

"If you want, walk fifty meters forward from here, then turn left at the intersection, twice."

"Finally, a friendly reminder: remember to bring a handkerchief, and also, people are actually more likely to open up to strangers, so seize the opportunity!"

Hoshino Hideyuki smiled with narrowed eyes, turned around, hummed a song, and strolled away.

The slightly chubby young man scratched his head on the spot.

What a strange guy...

Is this some kind of joke? They even said they could comfort my idol face-to-face, but that's impossible...

But out of curiosity, he went over as Hoshino Hideyuki had told him, and eventually, in a deserted corner filled with props and armor, he saw the idol girl who had changed into new clothes and was squatting on the ground crying.

Half an hour later.